This invention relates generally to medical imaging systems, and more particularly, to a patient barrier for supporting a subject during a medical examination.
Medical imaging is a specialty that uses radiation, such as gamma rays, x-rays, high-frequency sound waves, magnetic fields, neutrons, or charged particles to produce a plurality of images of internal body structures. In diagnostic radiology, radiation is used to detect and diagnose disease, while in interventional radiology, radiation is used to treat disease and bodily abnormalities.
Radiography is the technique of producing a radiographic image of any opaque specimen by the penetration of radiation, such as gamma rays, x-rays, neutrons, or charged particles. When a beam of radiation is transmitted through any heterogeneous object, the radiation is differentially absorbed depending upon varying object thickness, density, and chemical composition. The radiation emergent from a subject forms the radiographic image, which may then be realized on an image detection medium, such as photographic film directly or by using a phosphor to first create a light image. Radiography is a non-destructive technique of testing a gross internal structure of the subject, and is conventionally used in medical and industrial applications. Radiography is used to non-destructively detect medical conditions such as tuberculosis and bone fractures, as well as manufacturing imperfections in materials such as cracks, voids, and porosities.
During the medical imaging of the subject, the subject may not be in a stable position. If the subject is not in a stable position, a plurality of artifacts are generated within the radiographic image.